Michael Collins
'The unofficial voice of modern Irish history' Economist
When President of the Irish Republic Michael Collins signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, he remarked to Lord Birkenhead, 'I may have signed my actual death warrant.' In August 1922 at the height of the Irish Civil War, that prophecy came true - Collins was shot and killed by a fellow Irishman in a shocking political assassination.
So ended the life of the greatest of all Irish nationalists, but his visions and legacy lived on.
This authorative and comprehensive biography presents the life of a man who became a legend in his own lifetime, whose idealistic vigour and determination were matched only by his political realism and supreme organisational abilities. Coogan's biography provides a fascinating insight into a great political leader, whilst vividly portraying the political unrest in a divided Ireland, that can help to shape our understanding of Ireland's past, present and future.
'There have been several other lives of Collins, but none has assembled such wealth of detail' Independent on Sunday
Tim Pat Coogan was born in County Dublin and educated at Blackrock College before becoming a journalist. He has travelled the world, covering the Vietnam War, and interviewing figures such as Colonel Gadaffi and Ronald Reagan. He was editor of the Irish Press for twenty years, and as a leading commentator on Irish affairs he has contributed to several international newspapers, and broadcasts regularly on TV and radio, both in Ireland and abroad. He has written and presented several documentary films on Ireland, including a controversial Channel 4 film for 'Diverse Reports', and has lectured widely in America.
Tim Pat Coogan's previous books include Ireland Since the Rising, which has hailed as a pioneering work, On the Blanket about the H-Block dirty protests, the definitive history, The IRA, The Irish: A Personal Vision and Disillusioned Decades 1966-86.